DIY Wedding Blog Catalog

It is my desire to inform brides about new trends, information and ideas to enhance their wedding planning. During this tough economic times everyone, even brides, are looking for ways to save money. I took a walk around the blogosphere and found some DIY wedding ideas to help you with a budget friendly wedding.

DIY Printable Wedding Invites

Brenda's Wedding Blog shares information on printable wedding invites from Daisy Days. Daisy Days offers a variety of DIY kits ranging from Ranging in styles from classic pearl borders to colorful, pocket-fold invitations. Check out Brenda's Wedding Blog.

On One lovely Day by Project Wedding, you will find some beautiful and easy DIY centerpieces. These would be great for a bridal brunch or shower.



I fell in love with these DIY wedding ideas from Style Me Pretty. She added a new spin on the traditional fall wedding decor, very light and airy.




Be Inspired by DIY projects that help you save!!!!!

Bridal Showers: A- Z

A Bridal shower is a pre-wedding party where the bride-to-be is "showered" with love, good wishes, and gifts. Traditionally, is a party with the closest female relatives and friends, but today including the groom and his friends is very popular.


Traditionally, the maid of honor would be responsible for planning and hosting the shower. Today, the whole bridal party and even the bride’s mom are involved in the planning process. With hectic schedules everyone and anyone with the time and energy should be enlisted.

Select a date

Showers can take place from six months to a week before the wedding. It is up to you whether you want to make it a surprise or not, some brides-to-be may actually request that it not be a surprise. Keep in mind where most of the guests live and where the shower is being held; out of town guests should be given enough time to make their travel plans. If most people are local, you'll have more options. After setting the date it is important to make a planning schedule include time to meet up and brainstorm. Selecting special themes often make planning easier -- and more fun; it will be your starting point for many of the ideas to come.

Budget

After or in conjunction with the party plan you should set a budget, determine who is paying for the overall event or how you can divide the cost amongst the co-hosts. Make sure if you divide the costs make sure to get money before booking or ordering so that you are not left “holding the bag” or the bill in this case.

The Planning

Don’t get so excited planning the shower that you forget to think about the bride’s likes and dislikes. Is she a traditional or contemporary girl? Would your location choice be something she would like? Does she have any special interest, favorite colors or places she likes to travel to?

Guests

Everyone invited to the shower should also be invited to the wedding. If you are going with a “just girls” invitation list, make sure the bride's and groom's close female relatives are invited, as well as all the women in the wedding party and the bride's close girlfriends. If it's a couple shower, make it a coed guest list.
Suggest that the bride and groom register for gifts prior to the shower. Include registry information in shower invitations; include any special instructions in keeping with any theme you might have selected.

Food

Consider having the shower catered if it will be done in someone’s home. The philosophy of value over economy will play a big part in the success of your shower. It might be cheaper to have everyone involved in the planning chip in and cook a dish; however if for any reason one person is unable to fulfill their responsibility and does not let you know ahead of time, it will leave a major deficit in your showers. You can also consider asking a special person in the brides life to contribute one of their most popular dishes, for instance if the bride-to-be’s grandmother makes an excellent apple pie or dessert consider asking them to make it for the special occasion, they will be honored.

The favors




There are many fun items you can get as favors for the bridal shower. You can get them based on the theme (fall theme, beach theme) or a general favor like a cookie favor, edible favors are always a hit. Cookies can be decorated in bridal colors and presented in cellophane paper with coordinating ribbons, such as the ones below by Two Sisters Bakery

Renting Bridal Jewelry

Looking like a Platinum bride on your wedding day is possible even during a recession. Thanks to Adorn Brides leasing wedding jewelry is easy. Adorn Brides is a trailblazer in this new exciting concept, you will not find any other jewelry giant bringing this to you. You can now wear the finest elegant bridal jewelry on your wedding day.

Here is the process as listed on the Adorn Brides Website:

Rent Bridal Jewelry in four easy steps

1. Go shopping and pick out the pieces you love and add them to your “shopping bag”. Check their availability by entering your event date.
2. Check out using a credit card to order the jewelry for your event date.
3. Look amazing wearing the jewelry on your wedding day

Adorn will call you a few days before your event to confirm shipping information and review the details.
Your jewelry will arrive 2 business days prior to your event.
Best of all, the jewelry is insured while in your possession and the insurance is included in the rental price! (If the jewelry is not returned, Adorn will charge a 33% deductible.)
Please note that an amount equal to approximately 5% of the retail value of the jewelry will be reserved on your credit card while you have the jewelry as a temporary security deposit.



4. Send it back on the first business day after your event using packaging and pre-paid label Adorn provides for you.

Simply drop it off at the closest UPS store.
Once we receive the jewelry we will remove the security deposit.

Wedding Jewelry: Investment of a lifetime

Investing In the Marriage

A woman's dowry, in many countries, is worn around her neck and wrists in the form of gold chains and bracelets. While in modern countries, a woman doesn't require a dowry to marry, some of the jewelry purchases made during this time can be a sound investment. With gold prices at record levels, any jewelry bought for wedding purposes can be a nice way to invest a portion of wealth in an appreciating asset. Even diamonds have a way of retaining value over time, making them ideally suited for putting money aside into commodities that remain viable for years to come. Just be sure they're real diamonds as the dollar value is the difference between diamond and cubic zirconia.

Choose Gold or Platinum

The setting of your wedding jewelry is traditionally gold. Gold, however, is a soft metal that wears away easily. Platinum has become more popular, even as it costs more. That may also be a good reason to choose platinum, over gold, as the value is intrinsically higher. It also goes well with modern looks that favor a chrome or silver finish, rather than a yellow gold for fine jewelry. If you can't afford platinum, but want the look, there are white gold alloys, but they are less in value than purer forms of gold.

Diamonds Have Staying Power

Diamonds have long been used to launder money because they can easily be smuggled across borders. While you're probably not into any criminal activity, the same reasoning to choose diamonds over other stones exists for the serious investor. They are more easily liquidated and sold into cash, should hard times strike. While it would be tough to trade in a ring, even if you were struck with misfortune, it's a viable way to lock wealth away for a period of time, and still enjoy it.

Don't Forget The Wedding Bands

Bands can have diamonds studded into them now too, for both men and women. There are fancy colored diamonds that can have a higher value and more market appeal. If you survive the wedding, why not increase your jewelry holdings each year with an anniversary gift of fine jewelry? By the time your reach your 50th wedding anniversary, you'll already have a nice stash of gold set aside from previous years.

Favor by Color

I like to introduce another wedding resource tool that will facilitate your wedding planning process. On this site favors can be chosen based on color, themes, seasons. The options are limitless and span a wide range of prices.

Favors by Color is a company that has been created to make a bride's or planner's search for favors and easy one. They have categorized favors by colors and seasons. The site is extremely user friendly and will take the stress out of searching for favors.

Kelley McConnell owner of Favors by Color shares her inspiration for this innovative company:

"While taking a wedding planning class, one thing I noticed was that brides know their colors very early on. And it was time consuming to go through every page of several websites looking for wedding favors and gifts while knowing I was looking for a particular color or color combination." said owner Kelley McConnell. "I thought it would be so much easier if there was a website dedicated to displaying wedding favors by color so the bride and I could easily find favors and gift options in her colors."

Favor by Color offers samples on most items, just send a request to samples@favorsbycolor.com and they will get it ordered for you. Most gifts and favors come pre-packaged in an attractive box, but if a bride would like any item gift wrapped, Favors By Color can take care of it! Just make pre-arrangements by calling 877-434-2664 .


For more information on the history and choosing your wedding favors check out this post

Wedding DIY: Natural Elements Tablescapes

Creating great tablescapes will help you make your tables say "Wow" at you pre-wedding and wedding festivities. For fall events adding natural elements help you tie in the season in a unique and eco-friendly way.

Here are a few of my favorite, check out each link for DIY instructions:

Autumn Berries



Nature



Pumpkins



Celebrations at Home: Lovely Autumn Centerpiece

And the Winner is...........

I want to thank all of you who stopped by to enter the October giveaway. The winner of Inspired's October giveaway is ............Momma Goddess. Congratulations!! I hope that you enjoy the wonderful creation from Memoriesforlife.

I want to thank Edi from Memories for life for her providing her talent and creativity to Inspired's October giveaway. It was a great contribution to a great giveaway.

Winner was selected using Random.org.

Delectable Chocolate

Think back to the first time that you tasted your favorite dessert, or bit into a piece of Godiva chocolate. When the term "simply sinful" begins to makes sense; and you are almost unsure if you should take the next bite, so you eat slowly. Well when I tried on ME TOO's satin ribbon shoe, I felt like this. I actually tried on the closed back version to this shoe, but the front was the same as the Jeannette pictured above. I never realized how much I enjoyed shoes. Not just any shoe but the one that makes you want to run out and get a pedicure. I am usually afraid of shoes that are too high but the 4" heel on this shoe is very sturdy and comfortable, dancing comfortable.

If you want to be different for your brown wedding wear these heels under your gown. Imagine your photos with this great shoe peeking from under your dress.